Finding balance at Halloween.

It's that time of the year again, when our cute ghosts and goblins find their way from house to house filling their treat bags full of good (and not so good!) treats. As a parent, I want my children to enjoy the experiences and rituals of Halloween, but I also feel the need to intervene a little bit when it comes to candy and sugar!Here are a few ideas to strike a balance on Halloween:

• Talk to your kids (if they're old enough) about good food vs. junk food.  Teach them about why it's important to keep sugar intake in check.
• Make sure they start the day with a good breakfast (see Monster Juice recipe below), and ensure lunch and supper are healthy as well.
• Serve up these healthy halloween snacks before going trick or treating.
• Set limits on the amount of candy that will be eaten, and over what period of time.  For example, 5 pieces on night 1, and then 1 per week.
• Introduce the idea that you won't keep all of the candy and see what happens.  Maybe they're open to doing some Candy Experiments!
• Some older kids may be open to trading their candy for a toy or book.

Whatever you choose to do (or not do) take the opportunity to discuss healthy foods and eating with your kids!  You can't go wrong.'Monster juice' will be on the menu at our house on Halloween!1 cup coconut milk1 cup spinach (more if desired!)1/2 ripe avocado1/2-1 ripe bananaWater to desired consistency.  You could also add a scoop of vanilla protein powder to balance this out, or greek yogurt if dairy tolerant.Happy Halloween!